It should have been a simple morning. A calm, peaceful herb gathering trip through the outer glade of the spirit grove. Mirio had come here plenty of times before. Nothing ever went wrong. But then again… nothing ever involved Lily.
And nothing ever involved a glowing, forbidden, mana-saturated fruit dangling low from a cursed vine.
"Lily, don't touch that," he said, pointing at the pulsing, lavender fruit with gold flecks and twitching veins of arcane light.
She smiled at him. A big, sweet, innocent smile.
Then ate it whole.
He froze. "Lily—!"
Blorp.
She hiccuped.
Then glowed.
Then exploded—not violently, but in a huge ripple of compressed slime energy that whooshed outward in a circular splash, knocking back leaves and spraying Mirio with warm, gooey gel.
He wiped his face. "Oh no. No no no—Lily?!"
Where she had once stood was now a shimmering puddle. Four smaller slime blobs wiggled within it. One blinked. Then another. And then… they began to rise.
Not into one form.
Into four.
Mirio took a step back as four smaller versions of Lily emerged from the puddle—each roughly three-quarters her normal height, each retaining her soft curves and glowing blue core… but something about them was off.
Very off.
"Hubby~" cooed the first one, stepping forward with a sultry sway. Her eyes were half-lidded, her slime lips glossy, her chest subtly firmer and fuller than usual. She practically oozed desire. "Look at you all alone. Let me take care of you..."
Mirio's jaw dropped. "L-Lily?!"
"Back off!" barked the second one, stomping between them. Her form was puffier around the shoulders and hips, her eyebrows furrowed. Her tentacle-hair stood sharp like blades. "You're not going to seduce my hubby in front of me!"
"Um…" said the third, now clinging tightly to Mirio's leg. Her voice was soft and trembling. "Can I… stay here? Please? Don't leave me. I—I just want to be near you all the time…" She hugged his thigh tightly, wrapping her tiny arms around him like he was a body pillow. "Forever."
The fourth one bounced cheerfully on her heels, her goo splashing with every movement. "Yay! More hugs! More hubby! I love love love everything!" She spun in place and giggled, then face-planted into the grass.
Mirio looked from one to the next. "There's… four of you."
The seductive Lily winked. "More of me to love."
The jealous Lily growled. "Stay away from him!"
The clingy Lily nuzzled his leg. "Hubby is warm…"
The innocent Lily, now covered in grass, giggled. "This is the best day ever!"
He groaned. "This is a nightmare."
"You're welcome~" said the seductive one, running her fingers up his chest. "Don't fight it. Let me melt into you. Let me wrap around you, hubby…"
"No!" the jealous one snapped. "Only I get to do that!"
The clingy one slowly inched up his torso, half-wrapped around him now like a wet scarf. "I already am on him…"
The innocent one leapt up and hugged all of them at once. "Group hug!!"
Mirio staggered back. "Okay! STOP! Everyone STOP!"
The four Lilys froze.
"Okay," he said slowly, pointing to each of them in turn. "You. You're... Lusty Lily."
She smiled. "You noticed."
"You're Angry Lily."
"It's called passion."
"You're Clingy Lily."
"Don't let go."
"And you're… Cute Lily."
"Wheeeee!"
He rubbed his temple. "You're all parts of the same Lily… just exaggerated."
Lusty Lily leaned closer. "Which part do you like best?"
Jealous Lily pushed her aside. "He loves me."
Clingy Lily had now formed a full body wrap around his waist. "Hubby doesn't need anyone else."
Cute Lily hopped up and kissed his cheek with a soft pop. "I love your face!"
"ENOUGH!" he shouted.
The Lilys all flinched.
He took a breath. "You're all Lily. One Lily. My wife. And I love her. But I can't handle four Lilys all fighting for my attention like some kind of jelly harem!"
Lusty Lily tilted her head. "Jelly harem?"
Clingy Lily moaned. "Don't make us go away…"
Jealous Lily crossed her arms. "So you don't like us?!"
"I didn't say that!" he said, raising his hands. "I like you. But as one slime girl, not four different versions all crawling on me like mating-starved jelly demons!"
The Lilys huddled up. They whispered. They merged their slime hands together. Then they turned to him in a group hug.
"We'll become one again," they said in unison.
"But only if we're still number one in your heart."
"You are," Mirio muttered.
"Good~" they chimed.
And with a swirling ripple of soft goo and light, the four Lilys fused—forming the original Lily again. She stood taller, glowing softly, her chest rising and falling with steady breath. Her eyes were clearer now. Her smile was gentle.
"Hi, hubby," she said with a blush.
He exhaled. "You're back…"
Then she leaned into his chest and whispered, "Which part of me do you like most?"
He turned red. "All of it."
She giggled.
And hugged him tighter.
He knew this wasn't the last magical fruit incident.
Not by a long shot.